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After over 14 months of waiting, BBB Day has arrived! This kit is the new style Anovos kit, which is basically all of the same molds/casts, but how they assembled them is actually a bit different from what I've seen of other's posts (like ukswrath's awesome building guide that you can find here). For this topic, I'm just posting pictures and answering any questions about the new changes to the kit itself, and I'll make my personal build thread separate and in the right section of the forums.

First off: everything is dirty. As in, actual filth. I know it got delayed (by sooo long...) but it feels like these pieces were sitting out exposed in a warehouse for the full 8 months extra I had to wait. Luckily the built-in layer of protective plastic seems to have taken the brunt of it, but I am going to have to spray and wipe down most of these pieces.

The helmet

Some major things right off the bat:

No more hard-hat style head insert, now comes with velcro pre-installed inside the helmet and foam pads

Frown is painted very conservatively, so no overspray but requires extra filling in. (Personally I like this, as it allows me to do it correctly without removing paint!)

Frown mesh is surrounded by a felt pad, so it doesn't hurt your face. (Nice touch, but going to remove it to paint in the frown)

THEY FIXED THEIR HOVI-TIPS! I couldn't be happier, as they aren't putting in the super fine mesh that they have before.

Still the hand-painted style decals, but the blue stripes are again a little off. (Instead of a pen/pencil's width away, they're more like a Sharpie marker's width away)

Right ear (viewer's left) has a considerable gap, but not any worse than what I've seen of original reference pics.

Lens material is very well-trimmed and firmly glued in place (with craft foam over top so no ear scratches). Not too happy about the glue job, but the trimming makes it so I don't have a reason to pull it out anyways. So far, I'm leaving it.

S-bend trim on the bottom is actually well done, and only appears to be slightly glued in the back to make the ends meet. Easy to replace, but proper quality so I won't have to.

Pics!

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THE BELT IS A KIT NOW!

No more drilling rivets and breaking off the circle covers! Each part (including both halves of the drop box plastic shells) is completely separate, allowing me to easily swap out the fabric belt and build a centurion-level piece. Belt fabric is actually better than before, but still flimsy. It is 3 inches though, so I'm considering popping the seams on one end and just adding a strip of plastic down the middle. Holster is still leather and shockingly high-quality, and now I don't have to cut off any unnecessary rivets!

Pic!

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Misc.

Like I said above, it doesn't appear they changed any of their molds/casts. Still very clean and sharp. Other differences that I saw is that the main button plate comes pre-cut now, and appears to be fully correct. I had one shin-half come in some really crappy packaging, but it appears that the usable plastic underneath is in perfect condition. (Still gave me a heart attack) Due to the belt kit, they give you a greater assortment of screws/rivets, most of which I'll still be replacing. Still includes their Velcro strapping kit, but now all of the elastic/pre-made straps have some decent quality "hook-side" velcro on them. I'm thinking I can actually salvage most of them and make it useful, while replacing the "loop-side" velcro with my own heavy-duty stuff. Plastic thickness appears to be about the same as previous kits, but feels a little heavier than expected.

Update: The thigh and bicep pieces are thicker (by about 50%) than the other leg and arm pieces. If I notice any other differences like this, I'll update the post.

Pic

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Final notes

So, I'm actually really happy with what I got. However, in response to all of these changes, Anovos has basically doubled the price. No joke. I didn't have to pay extra (they honored original sale) but any new kits on the site are in the ridiculous price range, especially compared to the other good kits out there. So, while I would highly suggest this kit to others, I would highly suggest not buying it full price. Find someone who ordered it back in 2017 and has lost interest. (But not me. You couldn't get this kit from me unless you pry it from my cold, dead, imperial hands!)

So! I hope this helps out anyone who is waiting on a kit, or is considering buying one. If you have any questions/picture requests, I'd be happy to help!

As for me, I'm going to (slowly) get started on my build, starting with the helmet fixes.

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Plastic is the same thickness? Wasn't one of the selling points of the updated kits better plastic? Interesting if true.

Like I said, it appears as if its the same. Not having an example I can hold up side-by-side, I can't say for sure. It does appear however that most bends/joints are thicker than the flat sections. Maybe they buffed up all edges and corners, but left the flat parts the same?

24 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Glad to hear that they have been listening and making some upgrades, looking forward to seeing how it looks all assembled

Like I said, it appears as if its the same. Not having an example I can hold up side-by-side, I can't say for sure. It does appear however that most bends/joints are thicker than the flat sections. Maybe they buffed up all edges and corners, but left the flat parts the same?

Sounds beefed up where it matters, then - the return edges were prone to cracking on the older sets so this is good news for anyone moving forward.

Great to hear that they made a few changes, but I must say that I am not too keen on the new ears. The ear bumps have been squared off and lost that "rounded" effect, and the tops (although a perfect fit) just seem to be a little too thick and "perfect". It's probably just me, though, lol.

Great to hear that they made a few changes, but I must say that I am not too keen on the new ears. The ear bumps have been squared off and lost that "rounded" effect, and the tops (although a perfect fit) just seem to be a little too thick and "perfect". It's probably just me, though, lol.

New Original Anovos reference image

Yeah, they look like they tried to split the different between ANH and R1 TK ears.

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Still more material could be trimmed from the teeth plus the paint job of the frown could also come to the gum line, but it is an improvement on the last helmets.

Underspray is better than overspray! (And I'm already working on trimming back the return edge on the teeth)

2 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Great to hear that they made a few changes, but I must say that I am not too keen on the new ears. The ear bumps have been squared off and lost that "rounded" effect, and the tops (although a perfect fit) just seem to be a little too thick and "perfect". It's probably just me, though, lol.﻿

New Original Anovos reference image

Honestly, that photo (angle/lighting) makes it seem more squared off than it actually is. Take a look at the straight-on shot, and the left ear (our viewing right) shows how rounded the ear bars are. As for the overall shape, it is a bit too clean. Might have to pop them off and find some high-quality low-quality versions.

4 hours ago, Rat said:

I got the same kit version back in January and yeah I'm pretty happy with it. I managed to salvage and repurpose a lot of their strapping and what not

I'm using ukswrath's guide, and re-purposing it in mostly the same way he is. Not doing the same elastic-hinge system for the chest/ab/cod/kidney/back area (cause I don't trust the return edge and its not required for L3) So I don't plan to have much in the way of leftovers! Glad to hear you like the kit though. Did you reinforce the belt, or replace it?

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I'm using ukswrath's guide, and re-purposing it in mostly the same way he is. Not doing the same elastic-hinge system for the chest/ab/cod/kidney/back area (cause I don't trust the return edge and its not required for L3) So I don't plan to have much in the way of leftovers! Glad to hear you like the kit though. Did you reinforce the belt, or replace it?

- The Captain

I didn't reinforce it, though I though about it. What I did do was pulled the hook side of the velcro and moved it almost the length of the velcro and reattached it and then added a small bit of velcro I had left over. I did this because the belt was too long for me and was only getting about a 1/4" of grip from it. Once I did that there was little say in it. Just ignore that bad placement of the belt, gotta fix that.

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I didn't reinforce it, though I though about it. What I did do was pulled the hook side of the velcro and moved it almost the length of the velcro and reattached it and then added a small bit of velcro I had left over. I did this because the belt was too long for me and was only getting about a 1/4" of grip from it. Once I did that there was little say in it. Just ignore that bad placement of the belt, gotta fix that.

Just a few things I'm seeing: Your holster is on the wrong side of your belt and the ammo boxes are just a touch too high. Both easy fixes: just undo the Chicago screws on your holster and make the switch. For the ammo boxes, you might want to let out the elastic just enough that the boxes sit flush with the bottom of the plastic piece, and not slightly behind it.

Here's ukswrath's pic for reference:

As for the belt itself, just keep in mind that the Anovos supplied one won't work for L3 (I think it's ok for EIB though, but don't quote me on that), that's why I'm looking to reinforce/replace it.

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Just a few things I'm seeing: Your holster is on the wrong side of your belt and the ammo boxes are just a touch too high. Both easy fixes: just undo the Chicago screws on your holster and make the switch. For the ammo boxes, you might want to let out the elastic just enough that the boxes sit flush with the bottom of the plastic piece, and not slightly behind it.

Here's ukswrath's pic for reference:

As for the belt itself, just keep in mind that the Anovos supplied one won't work for L3 (I think it's ok for EIB though, but don't quote me on that), that's why I'm looking to reinforce/replace it.

- The Captain

Yeah that was my own mistake in doing the holster that way while test fitting. For the drop boxes I didn't realize they tucked up until after, but they actually sit almost flush to the belt. So far as I understand it the anovos belt is fine the version 1 belt was no good for centurion because it had to be patched to cover the extra holes.

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I'm using ukswrath's guide, and re-purposing it in mostly the same way he is. Not doing the same elastic-hinge system for the chest/ab/cod/kidney/back area (cause I don't trust the return edge and its not required for L3) So I don't plan to have much in the way of leftovers! Glad to hear you like the kit though. Did you reinforce the belt, or replace it?

- The Captain

Not the best lighting, but here is the helmet from my kit that arrived this week.

I'm still a newbie to tk's, but I agree with the review of the new version. The plastic seems thicker than what people have been complaining about, and the belt kit is a great change.

Thanks for the post! I am due to get the same ANOVOS kit by the end of the summer after a long wait. Two questions for you:

1) It seems, aside from the dirty wrapping, that most, if not all, of the changes are positive?

2) I’m a little concerned about having familiarized myself with the now-old edition of this ANOVOS kit. I saw you said you are using Ukwrath’s guide (I intend to as well and have read it, word-for-word, thrice). What are some modifications/deviations from the guide that you have noticed thus far? Is there anything he doesn’t/does touch on that is no longer applicable? Is it still the best guide to use?

Thanks again,

Eric

Edit: How extensive was the painting on the helmet? Do you think I should expect to add paint if I am aiming for Centurion or is this an accuracy preference of yours? Will one tin of Humbrol white and black get it done?

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Hey eric, mostly the helmet is good, tube stripes are a bit grey from what I understand. The belt part is out the window now as it is no longer prepare and is a kit now.

Hey Winston,

Thanks for the post! I am due to get the same ANOVOS kit by the end of the summer after a long wait. Two questions for you:

1) It seems, aside from the dirty wrapping, that most, if not all, of the changes are positive?

2) I’m a little concerned about having familiarized myself with the now-old edition of this ANOVOS kit. I saw you said you are using Ukwrath’s guide (I intend to as well and have read it, word-for-word, thrice). What are some modifications/deviations from the guide that you have noticed thus far? Is there anything he doesn’t/does touch on that is no longer applicable? Is it still the best guide to use?

Thanks again,

Eric

Edit: How extensive was the painting on the helmet? Do you think I should expect to add paint if I am aiming for Centurion or is this an accuracy preference of yours? Will one tin of Humbrol white and black get it done?

Hey eric, mostly the helmet is good, tube stripes are a bit grey from what I understand. The belt part is out the window now as it is no longer prepare and is a kit now.

Sent from my VK815 using Tapatalk

Pertaining to the belt portion of the guide, it is still usuable, no? We just skip the section that details how to remove the belt components and start where Ukwrath begins to reassemble the pieces on the new belt (Andrew/Kit's belt). Saves us time actually, I think. Correct me if I am misunderstanding something please.

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Pertaining to the belt portion of the guide, it is still usuable, no? We just skip the section that details how to remove the belt components and start where Ukwrath begins to reassemble the pieces on the new belt (Andrew/Kit's belt). Saves us time actually, I think. Correct me if I am misunderstanding something please.

Nope you can skip past the modification part and go straight to the build part.

Thanks for the post! I am due to get the same ANOVOS kit by the end of the summer after a long wait. Two questions for you:

1) It seems, aside from the dirty wrapping, that most, if not all, of the changes are positive?

2) I’m a little concerned about having familiarized myself with the now-old edition of this ANOVOS kit. I saw you said you are using Ukwrath’s guide (I intend to as well and have read it, word-for-word, thrice). What are some modifications/deviations from the guide that you have noticed thus far? Is there anything he doesn’t/does touch on that is no longer applicable? Is it still the best guide to use?

Thanks again,

Eric

Edit: How extensive was the painting on the helmet? Do you think I should expect to add paint if I am aiming for Centurion or is this an accuracy preference of yours? Will one tin of Humbrol white and black get it done?

I see Rat has already told you about a few things, but here's a few more answers to your questions:

1) Yup! It looks like they've been increasing the quality a bit. Most of it is good, but some things (like the above-mentioned ears) are maybe too good.

2) Honestly, there aren't any modifications to the guide, it's more about finding what you don't need to do. For example: the hovi-tips got fixed, so you don't need to go through his centurion update steps for those. Like Rat mentioned above, the belt is a kit so jump straight into the build section. IMO, it is still the best guide for Anovos armor. If I find any major deviations as I go through my build, I'll be sure to mention them here as a "new kit, new steps" kind of deal, but that has yet to happen.

Response to your edit: All the paint on the helmet is done, but the teeth are under-painted. (they used to have an over-painted problem.) To apply for centurion, the decals should be fine (they are done in the hand-painted style, not perfect lines) but you'll have to add paint to the teeth, and possibly remove some return edge. The white and black won't be needed for the helmet, but you'll need the grey for the teeth (and your buttons!). The white and black will mostly be used for painting the rivet heads (white) and the Thermal Det screw heads (black).

As for which colors you need, I use this guide (from the top stickied post in the build section of the forums)